


The Harder They Fall

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-09
Updated: 2011-12-09
Packaged: 2017-10-27 02:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/290834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Is that a direct quote from the infamous workaholic who spent his last vacation writing two books?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Harder They Fall

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR 7x09 SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY! You can all guess how much I liked that crap they pulled on us last night with Strauss, right? So when canon screws you, you find comfort in fanfic and that’s what I'm going to do. Nothing changes…my pairing goes on like always. I lost just a bit of love for Erica Messer last night but I still love Jayne and Erin. I always had my own idea about Erin's personal problem, I’m just gonna go with that.

“He said that?” Rossi smirked. “He asked that?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you say?”

“What could I say? I was flabbergasted, David. I was stunned into silence and I don’t think that worked very well in my favor.” Erin sighed.

“What's the matter?” Dave came around the corner and poked his head into the bathroom where Erin was standing in front of the vanity.

“Derek Morgan thinks I'm a drunk and surely went to his boss with that information and you're asking me what's the matter. Isn’t that enough?”

“You're the boss of Aaron…and Derek is wrong. Whether you were stunned into silence or not, he’s wrong.” Dave smiled but then his face turned serious again. “What's the matter, baby?”

“I have a headache.” She grabbed her toiletry bag and took out her Motrin PM.

“How long have you had a headache?”

“I don't know, um, three days or so.”

“You better be joking, Erin.”

She looked at Dave through the mirror as she filled a tumbler with water and drank down the two pills. Headaches had been a side effect of the medication she’d been taking but Erin had been off the Herceptin for a couple of months now. Her last oncologist’s appointment showed that the cancer was gone. Her doctor was still concerned about recurrence and wanted Erin to consider radiation to be sure but Erin refused; she’d been through enough.

Then the headaches came back. They weren't everyday but it was enough to be annoying. Her job was stressful and getting more so by the minute. Feeling like this was something she was nearly used to…that couldn’t be good. That didn’t mean that Erin wanted to be a mini walking pharmacy.

The old Erin Strauss never would've snapped on Massey, no matter how much he was stonewalling them and deserved it. That kind of behavior accomplished nothing. It also apparently got you labeled a drunk. Of course ‘are you drunk?’ or ‘have you been drinking?’ could be seen as expressions for someone acting unlike themselves.

Thinking about it too much made Erin’s head hurt more. She needed to stop. She needed to go the hell home. This wasn’t her job; this was David’s job.

“I'm fine.” She turned on the cold water to rinse her face one more time. Cold water was good for the pores.

“Erin…”

“Please stop.”

Dave closed his mouth before anything else came out. He didn’t want to upset her and he didn’t want to fight. This case was stressful enough for the team and their Section Chief. The Director was looking for her to fix this. Dave wasn’t sure if the Director cared if it was solved or brushed under the rug…he wanted it fixed. But Erin had to know that Hotch and his team were going to solve it and Sommerville’s reputation be damned if it came to that.

Yet she sent them down there anyway. He wasn’t really sure what she was thinking. He would rather talk about the headaches than the case. But it seemed as if she wasn’t going to talk about those either. How long had she been hiding them from him? Sighing, Dave leaned on the bathroom doorframe and folded his arms.

“I have a surefire cure for anything that ails you, baby. Motrin is good but Rossi is better.”

“Oh really?” a smile crept across her intense face.

“Mmm hmm, it’s a known fact.” He nodded.

Erin was about to respond; she didn’t know if she was going to be cheeky or bossy. It didn’t matter anyway because her cell phone rang and interrupted her thoughts. Looking at the display, Erin sighed again.

“Who is it?” Dave asked.

“It’s Kirk. I have to take this.” Erin closed the bathroom door at the same time she was answering the phone. “Good evening, Mr. Deputy Director.”

***

“C'mere baby, its time to make you feel better.”

Erin managed a smile as she crawled across the king-sized bed. Dave’s arms and legs were opened; she walked right into them. He held her tight and kissed her shoulder. Once she felt herself relax, Erin turned around and sat between his legs. He started to massage her shoulders. She melted under his touch.

“Ohhh God, yes.”

“Does that feel good?”

“It feels soooo good.”

“I know this case is putting a lot of pressure on you. I know Kirk and the Director are both looking to you to fix everything. I know the past few months have been a cross to bear professionally and personally.”

“Yes David, this all comes back to you knowing things.”

“Something like that.” Dave laughed. “I'm being serious though, Erin. You should really consider taking some time off.”

“I'm fine.” She replied through clenched teeth. It wasn’t because she was angry. Dave finally hit the tender spot on her shoulder.

“You're working yourself to the nub.”

“Is this a direct quote from the infamous workaholic who spent his vacation time writing two books?” Erin asked.

“I'm not saying that the cancer weakened you but…”

“Of course the damn cancer weakened me, David. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So you thought it was a good idea to take a month and a half off before jumping back in full steam?” he asked.

“Honey, love of mine, do you want to venture a guess as to how much I do not want to have this conversation right now?”

“You went off on someone today.” Dave said. “While they probably deserved it, it’s not your nature and you undermined a well-qualified agent who you know is good at his job. If you were at the top of your game…”

“I would've reamed Agent Morgan for lambasting such a well-coiffed bureaucrat?” Erin finished his thought.

“You're being difficult on purpose.”

“Probably. Am I doing a good job?”

“You're excelling at it just as you do at everything, baby.”

Dave kissed the nape of her neck as his massaging hands moved from her shoulders to her temples. Erin sighed happily, her body relaxing on his.

“By the way, what's my ringtone?” he asked after they'd been quiet for a while.

“What are you talking about?”

“When I call you on the phone, what's my ringtone? I noticed the Deputy Director was just a plain ring. I hope mine is more adventurous than that.”

“You have two phones.” Erin replied. “That means you have two ringtones.”

“OK, well what are they?”

Erin shivered when he nibbled on her ear. Between that and the massage, sleep was the last thing on her mind. She probably needed it more than anything though. It had been a long day and Dave was right, the way she went off on Massey was not her nature. She was much more in control of herself than that.

But lately the stress was wearing her thin. What happened to her control? Ever since she found that lump in her breast, it was more like a bump, everything was upside down. And the barrage never stopped. Erin was drowning; she could hardly breathe.

There were moments of calm when things were good. Everything would be quiet and she could just hear Dave breathing. She would start to think their lives, her life, was returning to normal. In a Florida hotel room with scratchy sheets, Dave’s hands on her, and her boss’ voice ringing in her ear, Erin wondered if it every would again. She wasn’t surprised Morgan thought she was a drunk. And he didn’t know the half of it.

“ _Mambo Italiano_ is your professional ringtone.” She said.

Erin took his hands from her temples. She got up on her knees again and turned around in his arms. Dave was grinning; the look on his face made her love him even more. She kissed his grin, coaxing his mouth open with her tongue. When he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, Erin moaned. Oh yeah, that made her feel _really_ good.

“And what's my personal ringtone?” Dave asked, his arms tightening around her waist.

“If you guess then I’ll tell you whether you're right or wrong.”

“Really? We’re going to play that game?”

“I thought you liked games, Agent Rossi.”

“I usually play my games with the lights out.”

Erin reached over and turned off the lamp. She heard Dave’s laughter echo throughout the room as her eyes adjusted to the near darkness.

“Is everyone going to hear us?” she asked as they slid under the sheets.

“There's a very good chance of that, yes.” Dave replied.

“And you're OK with that?”

“Are you OK with it, baby?”

“I’ll get over it I think.”

Dave believed her. He knew one night of earth shattering sex wouldn’t make it all better. Tomorrow would just bring more stress. Erin would burn out soon; Dave could feel it in his gut. He could sense her exhaustion and struggle to keep it going.

There were the headaches, the sleeping pills, and the extra glass of wine with dinner to help her relax. Erin was falling apart. He couldn’t claim to love her as much as he did without helping her keep it together. Dave needed to keep it all together. She would do it for him…he knew that.

“Is it _Can't Help Falling in Love_?” he asked, throwing her pajama shirt on the floor.

“Nope.” She shook her head.

“Mmm, what about _You're So Vain_?”

“Oh my God,” she laughed. “I wish I’d have thought of that.”

“I'm getting warm though, aren’t I baby?”

“Actually David,” she pushed down his pajama pants. “We’re both about to get hot.”

“Its _Hot Child in the City_ isn’t it?”

“Stop talking now, David.”

“Yes ma'am.”

***


End file.
